Jack for laying flooring



A. L. CAMPBELL JACK FOR LAYING FLOORING Filed May 2, 1968 ALFRED 1.. CAMPB'LL v INVENYTOR BY A romvsr Fig.

United States Patent 3,524,623 JACK FOR LAYING FLOQRING Alfred L. Campbell, Omaha, Nebr. (RFD. 1, B0x46, Hampshire, Ill. 60140) Filed May 2, 1968, Ser. No. 726,057 Int. Cl. B661? 3/00 US. Cl. 254- 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a pressure-exerting jack for forcing panel elements into close sideward contact with other pane-l elements as is desirable in laying flooring, ceiling, blocks, or other material where a close joint is required and there are spatial gaps to be eliminated as nearly as possible before the abutting panel-like elements are secured to joists or other appropriate base of a building structure. In particular, this invention relates to a jack tool that enables a lone operator to lay strip-like flooring of matable sideward contour into'substantially gap-free tight sideward abutment and to also enable the lone operator to nail or otherwise secure the strip-like flooring onto a structural base without the assistance of another operator.

The installation of building panel elements requires very close sideward abutment of the panel elements before they are nailed or otherwise secured to joists or other structural base in order to provide an aesthetically appealing neat result. For example, strip-like flooring materials, especially those of oaks and other hard woods, are apt to become warped during shipment and storage prior to installation, and it is exceedingly difficult to abut the strip-like flooring into close sideward contact for the subsequent nailing operation. While there are in the prior art pressure-exerting jacks or clamping tools for closely abutting the strip-like flooring, they are invariably too cumbersome to permit a lone operator to both lay and attach the flooring and of insufiicient versatility to perform many of the necessary exigencies likely to arise.

It is accordingly the general object of the present invention to overcome the several disadvantages of the prior art jacks employed for laying panel elements in close abutting relationship.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide a pressure-exerting jack for laying strip-like flooring that will enable a lone unassisted operator to both lay the flooring into very close sideward abutment with other flooring panels and to nail or otherwise secure the so abuted flooring panels to the joists or other structural base.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a flooring jack that is exceedingly efficient and that is easy and simple to operate with a minimum of physical exertion by the operator.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pressure-exerting jack that is unusually versatile and that is adapted to accommodate flooring and other panels irrespective of their exact sideward configuration.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a floor jack that is light in weight and' well balanced for easy manipulation, that is durable and long lasting, and that is inexpensive to manufacture and maintain.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, which will become more apparent as this description proceeds, the invention comprises the novel configuration, combination and arrangement of parts as pointed out in the appended claims, reference being bad to the 3,524,623 Patented Aug. 18, 1970 accompanying drawing wherein like characters denote like parts in the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional elevational view of a plurality of matably abuttable strip-like flooring panels laid along a joist-type structural base.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a representative form of the flooring jack of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a representative form of the flooring jack of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional elevational view of the flooring jack taken along line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 1 illustrates a typical environment for utilizing the flooring jack of the present invention. Four elongate flooring panels 6 are shown positioned in close sideward abutment and secured to a structural base comprising a plurality of transverse joists 5. The flooring panels 6 are of the typical sidewardly matably abuttable variety, each flooring panel comprising a tenon 7 coextensive along one of the two elongate sides and a groove 8 coextensive along the second of the panel sides. A fifth elongate flooring panel 6A is shown physically removed from but alongside the already secured panels 6, prior to close abutment of unsecured panel 6A against the adjacent panel 6 utilizing the flooring jack tool 10 of the present invention.

Flooring jack 10 comprises a rearwardly-extending base member 20 having an array of rearwardly-extending prongs 30 of graduated lengths at the lower side 21 of said base member, an elongate handle 40 pivotably attached to a forward portion of base member 20, a forwardly-extending shoe 60 pivotably attached to handle 40 above base member 20, and may also include means for temporarily or releasably fixing the degree of forward travel of handle 40 with respect to the pivotably associated shoe member 60.

Base member 20 has a substantially horizontal lower side 21, a rearward end 22, a forward end 23, and an upper side 24. Attached to base member 20 and extending downwardly and rearwardly of its lower side 21 is an array of sharply pointed spurs or prongs 30. The several prongs 30 are substantially parallel to each other, and the prong population density per unit areas of base member lower side 21 is preferably uniform. The downwardlyrearward lengths of the member prongs 30 gradually and regularly diminish in length from the rearward end 22 to the forward end 23 whereby the longer prongs are toward the base member forward end 23. Base member upper side 24 includes a centrally slotted portion 25 commencing at forward end 23, and the rearward extremity 26 of slot 25 is preferably nearer to base forward end 23 than to base rearward end 22.

Elongate handle 40 has a lower first end 41 and an upper second end 42. Handle lower end 41 is disposed within base slotted portion 25 nearer to slot rearward extremity 26 than to base forward end 23, and handle 40 adjacent to its lower first end 41 is pivotably attached to base member 20 as by means of a first transverse pivot pin 27 passing through handle 40 and base member 20 including its slotted portion 25. Handle 40 has three main sections along the length thereof including: a first lower section 43 that extends upwardly and forwardly of base lower side 21 and first transverse pivot pin 27 when the second or intermediate section 44 is substantially upright with respect to base lower side 21; a third or upper hand-grip section 45 adjacent to handle upper end 42, said upper hand-grip section 45 extending upwardly and rearwardly from intermediate section 44 when section 44 is substantially upright with respect to base lower side 21; and substantially linear second section 44, already alluded to as being disposed between first section 43 and third section 45, provides the preponderant or major length portion of handle 40-.

The base member upper side 24 includes an upwardly extending protuberance 47 that also extends forwardly of slot rearward extremity 26, and as indicated in FIG. 4, said protuberance 47 is adapted to strike handle 40 when the handle 40 is pivoted in the rearward direction but before handle lower first section 43 becomes fully upright with respect to base lower side 41. Handle second portion 44 has an elongate slotted portion 46 which accommodates therealong the release lever 80 portion of the means for temporarily or releasably fixing the forward travel of handle 40 with respect to pivotably associated shoe 60.

The forward end of forwardlyextending shoe 60 has a transverse groove 61 that is matably engageable with the tenon 7 of flooring panel 6 to be laid, and of course, the cross-sectional size of grooves 61 and 8 are substantially identical. Rearward portion 62 of shoe 60 is of a bifurcate or clevis configuration, and shoe 60 is pivotably attached to handle 40 by means of a second transverse pivot pin 28 passing through shoe clevis portion 62 and handle first section 43. Second pivot pin 28 passes through handle first section 43 nearer to handle second section 44 and to longitudinal slot 46 than to handle lower end 41. Further, second pivot pin 28 passes through both shoe bifurcations 62 nearer to shoe rearward end 64 than to the forward end 65 of U-shaped clevis 62. Thus the U-shaped clevis 62 extends along both transverse sides of handle 40. The forward end 65 of U-shaped clevis portion 62 preferably includes at least one integral tooth 66 extending downwardly and rearwardly of the shoe full-bodied forward portion.

Shoe member 60 preferably comprises two separate portions including a detachably mounted forward toe piece 70. Specifically, the main portion of shoe 60 may include slotted portion 71 transversely therethrough. A transverse lug or toe piece 70 is slidably engaged along slot 71, and lug 70 may be removably attached to shoe 60 as by means of vertical set screw 72. The transverse groove 61 is disposed within lug 70, and accordingly, flooring jack may accommodate flooring panels of various tenon shapes and sizes simply by utilizing a removable lug 70 having the appropriately matching groove 61.

One type means for temporarily fixing the forward travel of elongate handle 40 with respect to forwardlyextending shoe 60, said means being already alluded to with respect to elements 46 and 66 and 80, will now be described. Upper end 91 of a resiliently rearwardlydeflectable ratchet bar 90 is attached to the forward side of handle second section 44 as by means of a set screw 92. The forward side of ratchet bar 90 includes a plurality of forwardly and upwardly extending integral teeth 96 commencing at the ratchet bar lower end. Upper end 82 of release lever 80 is disposed rearwardly and below handle upper end 42 when handle second section 44 is upright with respect to base lower side 21. The lower end 81 of release lever 80 is attached to ratchet bar 90, as by welding, preferably nearer to the ratchet bar lower end than to the upper end 91. Release lever 80 is pivotably attached to elongate handle 40 within the longitudinally slotted portion 46 as by means of a third transverse pivot pin 29 passing through handle section 44 and through release lever 80 nearer to lower end 81 than to upper end 82. Preferably the length ratio between lever upper end 82 and third pivot pin 29 as compared to the length between pivot pin 29 and lever lower end 81 exceeds about 5.

Typical operation of the flooring jack 10 of the present invention is as follows. First, as indicated in FIG. 1, flooring panel 6A is laid in parallelism alongside the previously abutted flooring panels 6, said panels having also ben nailed or otherwise secured to a suitable structural base e.g. the underlying joists 5. Next, the flooring jack 10 is positioned alongside the tenon 7 of unsecured panel 6A, the transverse groove 61 of shoe 60 being in substantial parallelism with tenon 7 of panel 6A with the elongate handle being in the rearward phantom line position of FIG. 4, coincidentally, the array of rearwardly-extending graduated prongs 30 are slightly embedded into joist 5 as by moderate manual pressure exerted upon base upper side 24. Next, the operator moves handle 49 forwardly so that shoe 60 firmly presses flooring panel 6A into abutment with the previously laid panels 6, and simultaneously, the reflex pressure between elements 6A and 60 drive the prongs 30 deeply into joist 5 whereby base member 20 becomes a fixed reference point to exert whatever pressure necessary against panel 6A. The pressure against panel 6A may be maintained by the operators shoulder or upper arm against handle third section 45, while he is nailing panel 6A into position. Alternately, the optional means for temporarily fixing the forward travel of elongate handle 40 with respect to shoe 60 may be employed. Specifically, as handle 40 is moved forwardly, the teeth 96 of ratchet bar 90 move downwardly along teeth 66 of shoe 60 and upon release of handle 40 by the operator the teeth 66 and 96 engage one another whereby the forward degree of travel of handle 40 with respect to shoe 60 is temporarily fixed; thus, panel 6A is maintained in firm abutment against remaining panels 6 without the assistance of the operator himself While he nails or otherwise secures panel 6A into place along the structural base e.g. joist 5. When the panel 6A has been secured, the operator releases the engagement of teeth 66 and 96 by pressing upwardly on release lever at 81 thereby moving ratchet bar rearwardly. Upon disengagement of teeth 66 and 96, handle 40' is moved rearwardly to the phantom line position of FIG. 3 so that boss 47 strikes the rearward side of handle 40 thereby dislodging base prongs 30 from joist 5. The graduated lengths of prongs 30 facilitates removal of base 20 from joist 5 as by means of the impact between base-boss 47 and handle 40. The procedure of this paragraph is repeated over and over along the lengths of the initiate panel 6A and thence again for subsequently laid initiate panels 6A.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the flooring jack will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A jack for laying flooring strips into tightly abutting rows upon a structural base, said flooring strips having an elongate groove along one side and an elongate tongue along the other side, said elongate tongue being matably engageable within said elongate groove, said jack tool comprising:

(A) A base member having a forward end, a rearward end, an upper side, and a substantially horizontal lower side, an array of sharply-pointed substantiallyparallel prongs attached to the lower side of said base member, said array of sharply pointed prongs extending downwardly and rearwardly from said base member lower side, the lengths of said member prongs gradually diminishing in length from the rearward end to the forward end of said base member;

(B) An elongate handle having a lower first end and an upper second end, the said handle adjacent to its first end being pivotably attached to the base member above the lower side thereof, the handle being adapted to bear against the base member when the handle is moved rearwardly whereby the base member is lifted in the vertical direction, the said handle member adjacent to the second end thereof curving in the rearward direction; and

(C) A forwardly extending shoe pivotably attached to the handle member nearer to the first end than to the second end thereof, the forward end of said shoe including an elongate slot adapted to matably engage the elongate tongue of the floor panels to be laid.

2. The jack tool of claim 1 wherein the base member includes a rearwardly extending slot at the upper side of said base member, the said base member slotted portion commencing at the forward side of the base member, the handle first end being normally disposed within the base member slotted portion and said handle being pivotably attached to the base member with a first transverse pivot pin spanning the base member slotted portion nearer to the base member forward end than to the base member rearward end.

3. The jack tool of claim 1 wherein the forwardly-extending shoe member comprises two separate portions including a detachably mounted forward toe piece, the said toe piece including the elongate slotted portion adapted to matably engage the elongate tongue of the floor panels to be laid.

4. The jack tool of claim 1 wherein there are means for temporarily fixing the degree of forward travel of the elongate handle with respect to the pivotably associated forwardly-extending shoe member.

5. The jack tool of claim 2 wherein the forwardly-extending shoe member comprises two separate portions including a detachably mounted forward toe piece, the said toe piece including the elongate slotted portion adapted to matably engage the elongate tongue of the floor panels to be abuttably laid, and wherein there are means for temporarily fixing the magnitude of forward travel of the elongate handle with respect to the pivotably associated forward shoe member.

6. The jack tool of claim 1 wherein the elongate handle comprises three sections along the length thereof including a substantially linear intermediate section comprising the major length of said handle, an upper section adjacent to the upper second end of said handle said upper section extending upwardly and rearwardly from the intermediate section when the intermediate section is upright with respect to the base member horizontal lower side, and a lower section adjacent to the lower first end of said handle said lower section extending downwardly and rearwardly from the handle intermediate section 'when the handle intermediate section is upright with respect to the base member horizontal lower side, said forwardlye'xtending shoe member being pivotably attached to the handle lower section.

7. The jack tool of claim 5 wherein the handle is longitudinally slotted upwardly of the pivotal connection between the handle and shoe; wherein the rearward portion of the shoe is bifurcated and the shoe is pivotably attached to the handle lower section by means of second transverse pivot pin passing through the shoe bifurcated portion and the elongate handle; and wherein the means for temporarily fixing the forward travel of the handle with respect to the shoe comprises at least one rearwardly-extending tooth on the rearward side of the shoe full-bodied portion, a multi-tooth rearwardly-deflectable ratchet, and a release lever, said ratchet being attached to the forward side of the handle, said lever being disposed within the longitudinally slotted portion of the handle, the upward side of the lever being adjacent to and extending rearwardly of the handle upper end, said lever being pivotably attached to the lever with a third transverse pivot pin located above the second transverse pivot pin, said lever being attached to the rearwardly-deflectable ratchet below the third transverse pivot pin and also below the lowermost attachment location of the ratchet to the handle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 797,245 8/1905 Wallum 254-15 1,801,810 4/1931 Goodson 25417 3,331,584 7/1967 Schwartz 254-15 OTHELL M. SIMPSON, Primary Examiner D. R. MELTON, Assistant Examiner 

